Dirty Little Secret
by rebmetpes-86
Summary: A young girl comes to Lily in hopes of finding out about her biological mother and Lily reopens the 17 year old case. When the team start to dig they discover that everyone had their own secrets, including one of murder. [Please R & R thanks!]
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_December 1988_

Vanessa knew it was rude, but she couldn't help standing stock still at the big bay window watching the snowfall while all her family and friends milled around the living room, talking and laughing over the Christmas tunes playing in the background. For as long as she could remember, she had never witnessed so much snow falling at once. It was so thick and white she could barely see the lights across the street. It made the warm inside of the house seem all that much cosier.

A pair of arms wrapped around her and squeezed her tight. "Just think, you'll be seeing a lot more of that stuff in a month."

Vanessa smiled as the arms gently spun her around and she exchanged a quick peck on the lips with her boyfriend. "I can't wait, Warren. How did you manage to get my dad to stop talking to you?"

Warren pretended to put on a guilty expression. "I told him I smelled something burning in the kitchen and he rushed off to check on your mother."

"Sneaky."

"Isn't that what you love about me?"

Vanessa laughed as she snuggled tighter against his chest.

"Well it seems like a day or two ago that I watched you cry after you fell skating around the rink." A high and cheery voice called out.

"Aunt Louise." Vanessa and Warren quickly released their grips on each other. "Enjoying the party?"

"How can I enjoy the party? When my favourite nieces are going to Toronto for eight months, one to work and one to accompany her." Aunt Louise said sadly. "Bunch of bollucks if you ask me."

"I have to do sixteen months for my Work Experience placement. I promise I'll try to stay in Philly for the remaining eight." Vanessa assured her.

"Besides," Warren added, draping an affectionate arm over his girlfriend. "Only a handful of applicants actually get into the program. Your niece is one in a million. And don't worry, I'll be visiting her in August to make sure she hasn't done any hanky-panky."

Aunt Louise tried to scold the young man for speaking like that, but everyone knew she was joking and even she couldn't hold back a smile for long. Unable to hold back her curiosity, she asked Warren when he was planning on popping the big question since they had gone out for so long the whole family was expecting it.

"Then let me assure you, Aunt Louise." Warren answered with his classic sly look. "That I'll get down on one knee and pop the question when everyone is LEAST expecting it."

She walked away laughing, like most people who talked to him. But as soon as she was gone Ryan came up to them. She knew it was crazy, but Vanessa could feel the tension surrounding the young man. And if the negative vibe wasn't enough, the expression on Ryan's face certainly indicated he was not a happy camper.

"How can you do this?" Ryan demanded.

Vanessa gave Warren a confused glance before shifting her gaze back to Ryan. "What are you talking about?"

"Running away to Canada like this, and dragging Kaitlyn along with you."

Vanessa completely removed herself from Warren's grip, taking a step forward to boldly face Ryan. "Well then I'd like to inform you that Kaitlyn accompanying me to Toronto was her choice, and nobody else's."

"Yeah, I know she wouldn't dare abandon her sister in such a time of need." Ryan hissed, matching Vanessa's step forward until their glares were inches apart. "I know why you're going there. Everybody knows, though they're all too polite to say. The only reason you're going there is because Warren knocked you up and he doesn't have the guts to pop the question."

"Watch your mouth." Warren's tone bordered on aggressive. He would have done something if it hadn't been for Vanessa reassuring arm on his own. She was right, of course. They didn't need a big scene at her going away party.

"Are you alright?" Warren asked her after Ryan had finally walked away to mingle with other people and pretend that everything was ok.

"He's just bitter." Vanessa replied regretfully. Her brow wrinkled with worry when her eyes rested on Warren again. "Are you sure you still want to go through with this?"

"It's a little too late to back out now."

"Yeah, but I never expected you'd have to put up with…Ryan."

"Hey, it's alright." Warren gently cupped Vanessa's chin and brought her gaze up to match his own. "It was partly my choice, remember? So in a way it's partly my fault as well. Now let's forget about our troubles, at least for today."

* * *

It was a clear, beautiful night with a million stars twinkling in the sky. In a nearly empty parking lot just hidden from the glare of a street lamp Vanessa lay on the warm cement, a pool of dark blood by her head, a pair of car keys dangling from her limp hand.

Down in the vault, a detective filed away the file of Vanessa Hamilton dated November 1989. It was such a shame, any case that ran cold. He had wished a thousand times over for a lead to come in, any lead that would reveal the killer. But that was not the case, not this time. As the detective slid her box into the empty space on the shelf, he prayed that justice would come for the young girl. No matter how long that would take.

**Author's Note:** Sorry if I confused anyone...I didn't realize I had written the date of the case file to be September1989 when it should have been November 1989.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

All Lily saw was a little girl. Not a hard and rough and tumble type girl that had spent her whole life on the street or in foster homes, nor did she seem to be the girl that had been raised all her life in a sheltered world as "Daddy's little girl". Dark brown hair fell gracefully from her head, framing her thin beautiful face and setting off her beautiful hazel almond-shaped eyes, giving her that intelligent and exotic look. She was dressed in the usual style of clothes that teenagers usually wore, a pair of embroidered jeans and an open dark blue jean jacket with a black tank top underneath. There was nothing to suggest her appearance at the police station in downtown Philadelphia. Certainly she didn't seem to be the type who would go out with the "selling drugs driving speedy cars and beating women" type of guys.

The young girl saw Lily and smiled. Her name was Evelyn Gilding, seventeen, high school graduate who was destined to attend Harvard in the fall. But what interested Lily the most was Evelyn's origin and why she was in Philadelphia in the first place.

"I originally planned this trip to find my mother." Evelyn explained. "She went up to Toronto and had me in August of 1989 and my adopted parents brought me home straight form the hospital. The adoption agency wouldn't give me the records, but I knew which hospital I was born in and I managed to track down the nurse who helped with my delivery."

Lily smiled at the sleuth in the making. It was no wonder she was on her way to an Ivy League school.

Evelyn dug into her bag and pulled out a piece of paper. It was the death certificate for her mother, Vanessa Hamilton. She knew it was a long shot, but with her mother dead, she hoped to somehow find the man that was her father. Even though she had a good childhood and good adoptive parents, she couldn't live the rest of her life without the knowledge she had tried to find her origins, tried to discover why her parents gave her up. And with her real mother gone, she had come to the police department in a moment of insanity to try and seek the reason for her mother's death. She also wanted to find her father, but didn't know where to begin either.

"I've had a good life so far." Evelyn repeated. "But haven't you ever felt like there's a piece of you missing, and that the only people that can fill that void are the ones you have to fight to find?"

Even though the young girl wasn't making much sense, Lily still felt like she understood every word. She assured Evelyn she would do everything in her power to try and find her father as well as what happened to her mother. After the girl left the station, Lily wasted no time and raced down to the vault.

Her suspicions were confirmed. There was the Vanessa Hamilton case box lying on the shelf, dated November 1989. She opened a dusty manila envelope and took out a pile of crime scene photos. Looking at the photos Lily herself would have thought Vanessa was peacefully sleeping on the ground, if it wasn't for a pile of blood that rested beside her head, a thick streak of blood down the one side of a car that was beside her and the fact that her eyes that lay open in a blank lifeless stare. Evelyn had inherited her mother's long silky hair, but Vanessa had a darker set of eyes and a slightly wider face. Her father must have been the one with the hazel eyes and thin face. Whoever her biological father was.

Familiar footsteps echoed down the metal staircase and a minute later Scotty and Stillman's faces emerged into view. "What have we got here?"

"A girl by the name of Evelyn Gilding came in about an hour ago hoping we could find more information about her biological parents." Lily replied. "She managed to find out her mom's name, her mother's origins and the fact that she's not alive anymore."

Stillman took the file from Lily. "Vanessa Hamilton, twenty-one years old. Found dead in a restaurant parking lot in the wee hours of the morning." Sadness tugged at his heart as he read the rest of Vanessa's info. "She was about to begin her last year at Temple University."

Lily sighed. "She had her whole life ahead of her."

"She had a fiancé, Warren Smithers. We should probably talk to him."

"So this Warren guy is probably Evelyn's father." Scotty said.

"Or maybe somebody else was and he didn't like sharing." Lily half joked. "You know how these teenage romances go. By that logic he could also be our number one suspect."

"Well let's not jump to conclusions just yet." Stillman advised the two of them. "Let's track him down and see if we can find any more information about Vanessa. And let's try to find a nice way of telling the Hamilton's they might have a long lost granddaughter."

* * *

It wasn't too hard to find Warren Smithers; in the end they found an address for him in Philadelphia. Scotty volunteered to pay a visit to the man's home since everyone else at the moment was preoccupied with other cases. 

He felt himself let out a low whistle as he navigated his way off the highway and pulled into a set of luxury condominiums that looked like they were built only a year ago and found a visitor's parking space. He checked the address: Corinthian Plaza, Bala Cynwyd. The whole place looked more like a modern mansion than a set of condominiums with its luscious red brick walls, climbing vine plants and sweeping trees and lawns lining the single cul-de-sac that lead straight to the front door.

The doorman oozed with politeness and happily informed Scotty that Mr. Smithers was home today. Warren lived on the second floor so Scotty took the opportunity of using the stairs instead of the elevator. He knew he was in fairly good shape, but he could still feel his heart rate speed up uncomfortably as he hauled himself up the last few steps. Maybe I should think of going to the gym more often. He told himself. He took a minute to catch his breath before knocking on the dark wooden door of apartment 23. Nothing. He leaned forward, straining to hear of any sounds that would indicate a person walking towards the door, or a shower running. Still nothing.

Scotty knocked again, feeling a bit self conscious he was standing in a hallway for so long dressed in a dark suit that had probably had "Philly Detective" written all over it. The doorman was probably telling the truth but Warren could have easily left his apartment and gone to another part of the complex. He was just about to turn and leave when he heard the lock turn and the door slide open. A curious pair of blue eyes greeted him, a pair that Scotty guessed belonged to Warren Smithers.

He was twenty three years old though his shortly cropped blonde hair (with the beginnings of what looked to be a receding hairline), wide toothy grin and selection of baggy jeans and a white muscle shirt made him appear a few years younger than he actually was. The forty-year old had a hairline that had receded a good half inch but he still kept the bright locks and kept his figure in the same slightly muscular build all those years though now it was hidden under a pair of dark slacks and a casually striped collared blue shirt rolled up to the elbows. Warren had aged the most in and around his eyes: there were a hundred times more wrinkles, a hundred more times of an experienced, tired look almost hidden behind a pair of stylish black rimmed glasses.

"Can I help you?"

"Warren Smithers?"

"…yes?"

Scotty flashed his badge. "Scotty Valens, Philly P.D."

Warren nodded with recognition. "The detective over the phone."

"May I come in?"

Warren debated over that question for a split second before stepping back and opening the door for Scotty to walk through. Scotty stood awkwardly as Warren closed and locked the door before following the man past a spotless kitchen and to a roomy cream-coloured living room with a desk and a computer set up in one corner, covered with papers and pens.

"I'm sorry it took so long to answer the door, I was in the middle of a good idea and didn't want to lose it." Warren explained. "Being senior manager at a computer company sure doesn't help the hairline."

"But I'm assuming it has its perks." Scotty was quickly warming up to the guy. He seemed to be friendly yet businesslike and to the point.

Warren chuckled. "Well, it sure pays well as I'm sure you may have noticed. Then again having no kids could also be a reason."

But Scotty could see the man's expression change as he mentioned the reason for his visit: Vanessa. Darkness clouded over those blue eyes as quick as a thunderstorm. He was watching Warren, watching him go back in time and feel the painful aches in his heart as he came to grips that Vanessa was really dead. It was a probably a battle that Warren went through periodically during the last two decades of his life.

"You know, I've thought about her everyday for the past seventeen years." Warren confessed. There was no longer that friendly, confident voice. The tone had dropped so low it was almost nothing more than a whisper. "There are some days I still wake up and wish this was all a bad dream."

"Says here you just took off and went missing for about three weeks after Vanessa's funeral." Scotty pointed out. "That looks suspicious." In reality that was a wasted breath: both men knew Warren would have looked a hundred times guiltier if he had skipped town right after Vanessa's murder. Scotty knew Warren would have an explanation for everything and he did. His fiancé had just died and he felt like he had nothing left for him in Philadelphia. So after the funeral he hopped into his car with a suitcase and drove in a random direction only to find himself in Maine. He had gotten himself a job and was looking for a place to stay when he saw pictures of himself on the news and his tearful parents begging for his safe return. That was when he realized there were some things he had in Philadelphia: his parents, and the memory of Vanessa. It wasn't much, but it sure felt better than running away for the rest of his life.

Scotty sat back, half amazed.

"Perhaps what I did wasn't the smartest thing on the planet." Warren admitted. "But I had just lost my fiancé: I felt like I would have suffocated if I stayed in a place where everything reminded me of her."

"And now?"

"Now her memory is all I have left."

If there was one thing that came naturally to Scotty, he felt it was the art of knowing when to bring the conversation to a screeching halt. Finding himself stuttering, Scotty mentioned there was one more reason for his visit: the fact that his long lost daughter was trying to find him.

The man's eyes clouded over once again, but this time it was with a mix of emotions that Scotty could not sort out.

"That's not possible." Warren said bluntly. "I have no daughter."

"So you're saying that you and Vanessa never…never…there's no possibility that you could…"

Warren's ice blue eyes glittered with a hint of anger. "I don't think what we did or did not do concerns you, Detective. Bottom line is, I've never had a daughter, and I probably never will."

"But…"

Scotty's protests were futile. By the time he had formed the words he was going to say in his mind Warren had already gotten up out of his chair and opened the front door. Scotty had no choice but to leave. In two seconds flat Warren had transformed from a seemingly heart-warming person to one that wouldn't even entertain the idea that he could have a daughter who was looking for him. A brief nod was all Scotty received before the door closed loudly behind him.

No wonder Vanessa had chosen to give her child up for adoption.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry about the long wait, I've been feverishly trying to study for school and write more chapters for my other Cold Case fanfic, "Remember." A huge, huge thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter. Thank you so much _jambled, MaryRose, Haley, The Magic Bringer _and _Black Tulip!_


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The sun was setting on another beautiful Philadelphia day but Scotty felt nothing but a heavy heart and a lump in his throat as he made his way back to the station. He had left the place in good spirits and the hope that Warren Smithers would have followed him back to the station or at least set up another time to meet with Evelyn but that had proven out to be wrong. Now he was going to be the bringer of bad news: he would have to tell that hopeful seventeen-year-old that either her biological father didn't want anything to do with her, or her mother hadn't been so faithful. Maybe the possibility of seeing Evelyn frightened Warren: for all he knew she could look exactly like Vanessa. That sounded like an unlikely reason but stranger things had happened.

Evelyn proved to be mature beyond her years as she listened to Scotty's stuttering tale about meeting up with her father only to deny her existence moments later.

"I'm sure you did your best." She assured Scotty. "That was probably why my mother chose to give me up for adoption. It wouldn't have been a good life growing up knowing your father refused to acknowledge you were his child."

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out Evelyn had her hopes dashed even though she visibly tried to hide it. Scotty could only imagine how she felt: she had done all that digging and travelled so far in the hopes she would at least get a hello from her only surviving parent and perhaps a small explanation of why they had chosen to give her up for adoption. If only…

"Hey Scotty." Vera's voice jarred him away from his thoughts.

"Yeah?" Scotty gave his head a mental shake. It was hours later and Lilly had taken Evelyn down into the vaults to look at the old case files and try to dig up more information about Vanessa.

"Someone at the front here to see you. Says his name is Smithers."

Scotty shot up out of his chair in surprise. Vera wasn't lying: there was Warren Smithers standing just outside the department looking a bit self conscious, sheepish and out of place in the busy hustle and bustle. Scotty caught his eye and Warren gave him a small wave before the two men were within talking distance.

"I'm sorry for my outburst earlier this afternoon." Warren said sheepishly. "It was just a shock…but after you left I had some time to let the news sink in. I uh…I'd still like to meet her if that's possible."

Scotty felt his heart soften: he had been wrong about Warren. So that outburst had been downright ice cold, but at least Warren had offered up some whacky cooky explanation for all of that. Heck there was a chance Scotty himself might have acted along the same lines if somebody knocked on his door one day and told him he had fathered a teenager. Well at least he was going to be the bringer of good news for the second round. That was a much better alternative.

Scotty nodded to the man. "Right this way."

* * *

It seemed ridiculous that the pair should have met in an interrogation room so the lunch room was cleared and a couple of cups of tea were made though in that setting it seemed like an uncomfortable fishbowl more than anything else. Hopefully the pair didn't get self-conscious easily because nobody from the office was really staring at them. Well, except for maybe the team, they were the only ones who knew what was going on.

Lily and Scotty were chosen as the "invigilators" just in case anything about Vanessa came up. Scotty had to admit that after the initial shock had worn off, he was still a bit suspicious about Warren. Could any guy have gone from denying he had a daughter to wanting to meet her in a few measly hours? Then again, some guys spent their whole lifetime denying their children. Surely Warren was not one of those men.

Warren held a cup of tea in his slightly shaking hands. It looked like he was contemplating on taking a sip, but changed his mind at the last minute and set the mug back down onto the table. Evelyn did manage to take a small sip of the liquid before casting a nervous glance at the equally nervous man sitting in a chair across from her.

"It's funny." She finally said. "I've pictured this day, this moment a million times over. I had a million questions I wanted to ask you, but now that this moment has finally come…my mind's blank."

Lilly and Scotty swore they saw Warren's eyes glisten with tears. "You look so beautiful." He beamed. "You look just like your mother." That made Evelyn's eyes well up as well.

"I've thought about this day a lot." Warren confessed. "If it was ever possible or if I was only dreaming. And now…this day is here...I'm still in shock."

But despite his shock Warren did manage to ask the plaguing question of how Evelyn's adopted parents were. Were they nice to her? Did they treat her well? Did she have any brothers and sisters to speak of? Did she receive a good education?

Evelyn, much to Warren's relief, had lucked out at the adoption game. She didn't have any other brothers or sisters. She was picked up by a loving couple that poured all of their resources and love into raising their only child. When Evelyn told Warren which University she had gotten accepted into, a tear slid down his cheek.

"That's wonderful." He whispered. He shook his head in amazement as the memories came flooding back to him once again. "I'm sorry…what's your name again?"

"Evelyn."

"Evelyn…Evelyn…" Warren repeated in an almost dream-like tone. "Your mother named you that, though we didn't think your adoptive parents would ever keep that name…you were named after your grandmother."

"They're great people." Evelyn said. "They kept my name because they wanted me to have that part of me forever…are my grandparents alive now?"

Warren shook his head sadly. "Your grandmother passed away a few years ago, and your grandfather followed shortly after that. They never really got over Vanessa's death. I don't think any of us ever did."

"We were all so young." He continued. "So young and so scared. We've heard so many horror stories to do with adoption and their families. I don't think a day went by that I didn't pray you would find a good family. I think it's the best news I could ever hear, to know that ultimately we made the right choice."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about, dad." Evelyn had finally found her voice. "I came all this way to find you, to ask you these questions."

"To find me? Ask what questions?"

"Why you gave me up for adoption."

"Me?"

"I just want to know, dad." Evelyn said. "I'm not here to beg you take me back, or acknowledge to the world that I'm your daughter. I just want to know why."

"But Evelyn." Warren said out of mild shock. "I'm not your father."

"But…"

"Listen to me. I'm sorry you got the wrong idea about all of this, I guess that's why I was a bit confused too." Warren cast a quick glance at Scotty. "Evelyn…I'm not your father. I'm your uncle."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the long wait, school and job hunting has been absolutely crazy for me. I had this chapter written for awhile, but I wanted to write one more chapter (and leave all my readers guessing as to what was going to happen next). However, I decided to be a little nicer, so as of now I still haven't finished the next chapter, but I decided to post this one up anyways.

Thanks for all of you who reviewed last chapter, _The Magic Bringer, tillace, jambled_, _Scotty Valens is hot, _and_ LostButNotForgottenx_.

To Jambled: Hope Warren has redeemed himself a bit in your eyes.


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